Math Vocab

Rebecca Carroll

Math Vocab

Rebecca Carroll

Parabola

A U-Shaped curve where any point is an equal distance from a fixed pint called the focus and a fixed straight line called the directrix.

Example-

2x^2+5x-3=0

Quadratic

An equation where a variable is to the second power.

Example-

2x^2+5x-3=0

Vertex

A point where 2 or more straight lines meet or a corner.

Example-

The four corners of a square are vertices

Axis of Symmetry

A line through a shape or image where the sides are a mirror images of each other.

Example-

See picture

Maximum Value

The maximum or largest value of a quadratic function.

Example-

f(x)=9-x^2

Maximum value is 9. If you subtract any value from 9 it will be less.

Minimum Value

The minimum or lowest possible value of a quadratic function.

Example-

f(x)=16+x^2

Minimum value is 16. If you add any value to 16 it will be greater.

Terms

Each of the quantities or variables in an mathmatical expression

Example-

2x+6-3y

2x, 6, and 3y are all terms

First Differences

To find the first differences you take a table of x and y values and calculate the difference between them in order to determine if it would be a linear function

Example-

XY The X's increase by 1 and the Y's increase by 3

-2 -6

-1 -3

0 0

1 3

2 6

Second Differences

To find the second differences you take a table of x and y values that is not linear(doesn't have the same first differences). Then take the first differences and find the increasing value between. If they are equal in increasing they are a quadratic function.

Example-

XY

-8 -321

-5 -141

-2 -33

1 3

4 -33

FD

/

180

108

36

-36

The First differences increase by -72 each. Therefore it's a quadratic.

Zeros(roots)

A functions "zero" is the value that is inserted into a function and outputs a 0 as the product.